Round 1
Both fighters gauge the range with kicks from the outside, but it's Newton who explodes forth with rushes of punches and side kicks. Zayats avoids eating serious leather on the first two Newton rushes, but “The Hardcore Kid” is clearly looking to score haymaker shots. Zayats lands a short left hook before ducking out of the way of returning Newton fire. Zayats tags Newton with a clear right cross, then another one. Newton opts to take the fight to the canvas, putting Zayats on his back and hammerfisting away from full guard. Zayats tries to turn for armbars but the Californian just punches through the attempts. Zayats shrimps to the fence and uses the cage to get back to his feet, but Newton gets double underhooks and almost slams him to the mat. Zayats blocks the first elevation attempt, then rolls through the second, nearly landing a guillotine choke. Newton is bullish, running Zayats back into the fence, turning the corner and punching away from behind. Newton keeps trying to sink his arm under Zayats' chin in pursuit of the no-hooks rear-naked choke. Newton boxes Zayats ears on the floor until the Russian gets back to his feet just to hear the bell.

Round 2
Wild right hands from both tournament finalists sail wide of their targets. Newton creeps forward slowly on Zayats but can't land clean with his sudden bursts of punches and kicks. “The Hardcore Kid” unloads a spinning wheel kick that is not in Zayats' zip code. It's a more tentative, stalking start to the second round and when the fighters to throw punches, they're not landing clean if at all. Heavy feinting from both fighters. Zayats slips in a left cross to the kisser and Newton can't follow up after clinching. Newton continues to flash crescent kicks and the like from the outside but can't put his mitts on Zayats. Zayats lands a right hand that rips Newton open above the left eyebrow and then drives him to the canvas at the bell.

Round 3
Newton throws a left body kick and eats a Zayats right hand. The American works his way into the clinch, pressing Zayats' back to the cage, punching to the body and trying to drag him to the mat. A tiring Zayats grabs onto a headlock briefly before Newton frees himself. Newton trips Zayats to the mat for just a second, but the Russian gets to his feet and breaks away from Newton's grip. A head kick from Newton clips Zayats but the overhand right directly behind it drops him on his seat. Newton dives on the Russian quickly, nearly locking up a bulldog choke in the process, but Zayats twists out of it and gets back to his feet. Newton switches to southpaw briefly, then back again, just investigating potential kicking attacks on Zayats. Newton jabs, turns sideways while eating a Zayats counter and tries to rip him with a spinning back fist like he did to Mo Lawal. Zayats shoots a double-leg takedown then switches to a single, but Newton is back to his feet as soon as he touches the canvas. Under a minute left to fight. Newton lands two left roundhouses to the body then eats a Zayats cross. “The Hardcore Kid” opts to play it safe, dragging Zayats to the mat. The Russian nearly locks up an armbar, but Newton escapes and punches away until the final bell.

Official result: All three judges -- Don Balas, Richard Davis and Mike Ross -- score the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision and the winner of Bellator's Season 8 light heavyweight tournament, Emanuel Newton.